MOMA Opens Studio Ghibli Exhibit

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City today launches Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata: Masters of Animation, a 13-film tribute to the two founders of Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli. The screenings will be held in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters, and are scheduled to continue through Thursday, June 30.

Covering the works of Miyazaki and Takahata from 1974 to the present, the exhibit will be highlighted by the June 6 North American premiere of the eagerly awaited Howl’s Moving Castle, with director Miyazaki in attendance. Disney will give the film a limited theatrical run starting June 10.

Other films to screen during the month include Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), as well as Takahata’s Heidi–A Girl of the Alps (1974), Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and My Neighborsthe Yamadas (1999).

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata: Masters of Animation is organized by Barbara London, associate curator of MOMA’s Department of Film and Media. Support has been provided by Walt Disney Studios, The Japan Foundation and the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art.

For more information on the series and other MOMA events, go to www.moma.org.

Read our cover story on Howl’s Moving Castle in the July issue of Animation Magazine, available now by subscription and at Barnes & Noble locations.